Pro Tool Reviews: A Houston, Texas construction worker is in the hospital recovering from wounds he received on the jobsite when the power saw blade he was using shattered. A piece of the blade reportedly impaled him in the chest. While none of the reports were specific to the exact kind of power saw or blade he was using, officials did say that it was the type used to cut metal and concrete. A reporter on the scene said officials told him that the worker was using a “universal saw”.
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As theater becomes more technologically inspired, more and more design production people are putting their physical bodies at risk to create set pieces, costumes, props, etc. Although the show itself is the purpose of all the hard physical work done, more important are the bodies that do that work. If there are no people to do the risky work, no work at all will be done. I encourage risks to be taken in all aspects of the theater including creating elaborate set costume and prop designs, however risking physical safety is less important that finishing a job. There must be a safe way to do that job.
It is horrible to hear that even the most skilled professionals can be hurt seriously due to advanced machinerary. The technology that we have today is growing at an accelerating rate, however, we need to be careful and make sure that we are always not depended on these tools to get jobs and tasks done in our everday lives. Just as Myha'la said, high tech machines and gadgets that make today's theatre so amazing can easly harm the actors and the crew members who are working on the show. High tech devices are amazing and I do feel like they are neccessary to move the theatre into an age that it has never gone before. But we need to be careful and aware because the technolgy that we creatre can come back and take us over.
When using dangerous tools like this, people are put at risk of injuries. This is especially important in a Universities that teach theater, because people are learning how to use these tools. Oftentimes when someone just learns how to use a tool, they can become overconfident and that can lead to mistakes. If a trained professional can shatter a blade, than a student can do it so much easier. That is why it is imperative to use caution, especially in University theaters.
I love and hate articles like this because they do raise awareness for people using these power tools, but they do it in a negative manner. The effectiveness, however, is much greater than the various lectures on tool safety and protocol, which for me, have already become monotonous and sound more and more like each other every time. This being said, people should be aware and always check twice, cut once. There is definitely nothing more dangerous than aloofness in a shop or worksite, given that companies' product standards are for professional and appropriate usage.
Well, this is just proving that anything can happen while using power tools. Safety is very important and to check your machines and maintaining them are very important. They should be checked at all times. But after years of doing the same thing over and over again, many workers are unaware of their surroundings. And this is a bother because there are so many articles and reports on shop injuries and never on the positives. I think people need to be more alert with what they are doing especially if it is dangerous. I even hear crazy death stories. I know it's a routine to these people, to do the same job over and over again, but they need to be aware of the power tools around them and watch out for others too.
I feel like a lot of articles like this are just scare tactics to make us more paranoid and afraid to use power tools. Sure, it's a great reminder that these tools are dangerous, and we should always check them to make sure they're still safe, but how often do things like this really happen? Especially to this extent.
In stories like this, I can't help but think that there was nothing that worker could've done to stop the blade from shattering; even the inspection crew didn't know how it happened, so what are the chances that it was something the worker could've noticed?
Well this is mildly terrifying. It is scary to me to think that even those who really know what they're doing can get so seriously hurt. Just the other day, I was being yelled at by my mother for wanting to do my work-study in the shop because "That's where all the equipment is!" And while my initial reaction tends to be "Yeah, obviously, but I'm fine," it is important to remember that sometimes things really do go wrong. I have to say that I absolutely will not be showing her this article though.
I hope he makes a speedy recovery.
Accidents happen, and while everything within our power should be done to prevent them, sometimes shit just happens. We all put ourselves in danger everyday, living is hazardous to life, and the best course of action isn't to try and eliminate any possible hazard (though we should certainly eliminate as many as we can) because if we did, then there would be nothing interesting or worthwhile. There is no possible way that we could put on a good show without doing something dangerous, be it using a saw or throwing weight or climbing up to the box booms to hang a light. Instead, we must try and take as many steps as possible to minimize the chance of this potentially dangerous situation to turn into one which is immediately dangerous. Simple things like wearing eye and ear protection, tethering your wrench to you, and even just thinking about how you will accomplish a goal before just diving right into it, can all make the potentially dangerous environment we work in one where people remain safe.
The author is right, there are various reasons this blade could have failed. Unfortunately, most of them point to improper tooling, misuse of the tool, inadequate training…etc. And there are few reasons that point to a freak accident, like an unknowingly defective saw blade. Now it’s possible that the blade in question could have been misused and damaged prior to this particular worker using it, and by no fault of his own being injured, but it’s extremely hard to determine that. I’ve seen very few saw blades shatter in this fashion, for that matter there’s only two types of blades I’ve experienced failing in anyway similar to this, a cold saw blade and a friction cutting blade. The blade for the cold saw, like the author notes is exceptionally hard, and brittle as it is specifically made for cutting thru steel. Therefore when it is damaged, usually due improper operation of the saw or because the blade was previously damaged in some way, it’s common for a section of the blade to break off or for the blade itself to facture into multiple sections. For friction cutting blade, similar to the cutting wheel on a grinder or metal saw, they are typical made from a mixture of materials (aluminum oxide grain combination) that are molded together, as the disc or blade breaks down while being used it becomes slightly more unstable. Once the blade reaches its threshold and needs to be changed or comes into contact with a material it cannot cut, it’s not uncommon for the disc to fracture and come apart. Having said all that, a number of these tools have guards designed to protect workers from injuries like this, however there an overwhelming number of workers that find ways to disable these guards to make their work easier, but at a risk for their own safety. That’s not to say that the worker injured in this situation did so, but it could have certainly been a factor.
I cannot stress how safe you have to be especially when working in a shop. A similar situation almost occurred to me this past week when I was using a table saw. I was too concentrated on pushing the wood and keeping it straight to realize that my hand was legitimately 2 inches from the blade. I now know from this situation and my own that safety is important especially in the shop and especially when using power tools. It is unfortunate that this has occurred but it now shows us to follow precautions and wear proper safety gear.
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